Blind Bargains Qast 121: Palindromes

The news is always the portion of the program we can never predict from week to week. Surprises are always welcome and this time is no exception. It is a good thing that Brian Fischler dropped by to give us a few chuckles and a primer on "Laugh For Sight" because it definitely adds some levity to the proceedings. We also have a tip, a brief "Sound Off" and a BBQ first in the "Last Word".

Program Note:

A beloved member of just about every part of the Blindness Community passed away recently. Chris @toonhead Skarstad was one of those unique people you rarely encounter in life. He had the uncanny ability to provide a supportive comment, a kind message or a well thought out constructive remark for just about any situation. We will miss you greatly and so will others as demonstrated by this moving thread over at Apple Vis. RIP Toony...Sad news to report

In The News:

The next three news links cover a few sides of the Firefox and Screen Reader support conversation that erupted this past week. We touched on this some back when ZoomText covered it in their 11.6 update. However, more took notice when the dedicated Screen Reader blogs made their support announcements.

Interview: Brian Fishler And "Laugh For Sight!

Brian Fischler, who you might know as one of the hosts from "That Blind Tech Show", is hard at work in putting together the finishing touch on this year's Laugh For Sight" event. For more than a decade, with the assistance of the Gotham Comedy Club,"Laugh For Sight" has brought together Comedians for a gala night of jokes to raise funds for vision loss research. This year's outing is going to have a silent auction, some amazing sponsorships and of course wall to wall humor. If you are in the New York area, grab your tickets now. Or, if you are interested in the $20 deal Brian mentioned on the show, email him at info@laughforsight.com
Be sure to add "Laugh For Sight" to your bookmarks to stay up to date on the latest from this funny organization.

Tip: Start Your Holiday Tech Support Prep

Fans of this show probably end up being popular during the holidays as their families just might wrangle them into providing free tech support. Well, if you are lucky, they'll feed you first and then ask you to fix stuff. At any rate, you may find yourself having to troubleshoot the new Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. To verify if the computer in front of you has the latest version of Windows 10, venture to Settings then System and move to the About section. This panel will let you know the version of Windows 10 installed. You are hoping it says 1709 as that means you are looking at the Fall Creators Update rather than an older version. Also, don't forget to journey to the Windows Store and make sure those apps are up to date as well. This by no means will solve all your problems, however, it may provide you with the needed progress bars for the consumption of dessert.

Sound Off:

Mary Emerson left this insight for us in the episode 119 Comments Section;

Hi, You were talking about grocery delivery services. I've been using Safeway since March 2002; they've been wonderful! Sometimes I get items I didn't order, and sometimes other people get my stuff, but I've accepted that as part of the process; nobody's perfect, and we all make mistakes occasionally. I get reimbursed for missing items. Sometimes there are some good deals if you shop online. Thanks for a great show! from Mary Emerson

Joe notes that the recent updates to the Harris Teeter app for iOS broke VO support in all sorts of ways. The chain recently dropped out of the Instacart list and this leaves the website as the only means for browsing and ordering things for delivery. He has already contacted HT and provided some resources, however, all this meant was that he and Ricky will use other stores over HT while they work back in Voiceover support.

If you have a local grocery chain app, either iOS or Android based, that you find easy to use... let us know via social media, in the comments below or drop us a line feedback@blindbargains.com and we will share that information on an upcoming episode.

Joe Steinkamp is no stranger to the world of technology, having been a user of video magnification and blindness related electronic devices since 1979. Joe has worked in radio, retail management and Vocational Rehabilitation for blind and low vision individuals in Texas. He has been writing about the A.T. Industry for10 years and podcasting about it for nearly 5 years.